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Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Tastee-Reads: Year of Cozy, Milk Bar Life, and Endless Summer

Some of my favorite kinds of books to buy - and absolutely the hardest kind of purchase I make in book-buying - are Cookbooks. I love cooking, and I love the aesthetic uniformity and chef power that comes from carefully selecting a Cookbook from its shelves, so wouldn't you think my collection would be a little more expansive? But beyond the Jamie Oliver obsession that hit me like a freight train in middle school (and still shows no signs of slowing down), I actually don't have that many.

I know why, of course: they're so expensive! It's easy to throw a few bucks over the counter for a cheap, popular paperback, but cookbooks almost always run upwards of $20, even if they're on sale. And because they're so expensive, it's hard to justify the costs, especially when I've already got over 500+ recipes saved up on Pinterest that I want to try.

That's why every single time I take a trip to the library, you can bet that I'm selecting at least one new read from the Cooking section, whether its a new installment from a favorite chef, a collection of seasonal recipes to fit my surroundings, exploring a new kind of cuisine, or even just figuring out what the heck the deal is with the hottest new cooking trends (That being said, I will probably never check out a raw vegan cookbook ever again. Don't y'all eat anything fun?).

You've got a little hint of this fixation before, in the form of my review this past year for Voracious, from Cara Nicoletti. Recently, however, I've racked up a couple of cookbooks from the library that I've been incredibly tempted to go out and purchase for myself. Of course, I'm still on my book-buying-ban for this year, so I'll have to wait a little while to get my fix. But as for right now, I'm content to keep renewing these copies until the library kicks me out!

The Year of Cozy, Adrianna Adarme

Based off of Adrianna Adarme's popular blog, A Cozy Kitchen, this book is a compendium of all kinds of DIY, from recipes to home crafts, to adventures you can take yourself. Arranged by season and month within the context of a yearly cycle, this cookbook-slash-DIY-guide encourages you to reach beyond the habits and routines of your daily life, to try something new, and most importantly, to do so with the company of people you love. From sourcing delicious seasonal ingredients for yourself, to taking the time to relax and take part in a quick craft, this book is both instructional and fun, filled with not just exciting but downright cute things to do. A really fun project would be to make it a personal challenge to do at least once a month... but with the collection of great recipes and more inside, I don't know if you'd be able to limit yourself to just one!

Milk Bar Life, Christina Tosi

I turned Tosi's "Greta" sugar cookies bars into a unicorn-colored daydream, in an attempt to use up old sprinkles!

Culinary purists, you're not in Kansas anymore. An adventuresome eater's paradise awaits between the pages of this tome, courtesy of Momofuku Milk Bar's Christina Tosi. Including not one, but two different nacho recipes, and not one, but two different dessert recipes involving store-bought Ritz crackers, this kind of laid-back and accessible cookbook, with a reckless eater's edge, is something I'm totally a fan of just leafing through on a lazy afternoon, let alone trying out these recipes for myself. Tosi is such a notable New York food authority and visionary, I'm almost willing to overlook the mental struggle that is the Spaghetti-O and breakfast sausage sandwich.

I'm absolutely obsessed with getting my hands on this book's predecessor, Momofuku Milk Bar, which contains the recipes they use in the actual bakery, instead of behind the scenes in their daily lives, because like the rest of the country, I'm obsessed with their birthday cake (though, of course, there are cookies and cakes in this cookbook, too!). That being said, from aesthetic quality to zany recipes, this is one of my favorite library repeat checkouts. I've even made some of the food from the book myself!

Endless Summer Cookbook, Katie Lee

My favorite member of Food Network's The Kitchen and a recent obsession of mine, Katie Lee's airy homage to the sweetest season looks like something straight out of Instagram: sumptuous, colorful photography and hand-scrawled notes lend this cookbook some aesthetic credibility, while the low-ingredient, high-seasonal-payoff recipes themselves offer up a breezy, effortless vibe... perfect for those dog day afternoons. Her simple and fresh ingredients lists make the entire thing super affordable and easy, while the food itself ranges from Southern-inspired to classic summer fare, to inspiration taken from Lee's trips abroad, and even collegiate life! I'm tempted to try everything from her "Virginia-Style Hot Dogs," to her "BLT Ranch Burger," to almost everything in the Breakfast section, and I'm thrilled that I got the chance to renew this from the library before anyone else could get their hands on it before August.

What are some of your favorite cookbooks? Which of these books would you want to check out for yourself? Let me know, in the comments below!

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ME, IN A NUTSHELL

I grew up cheerfully in Tacoma, WA, wishing I'd grow up to be the better parts of Jo Marsh and Weetzie Bat. Now I live in Seattle, and I take my life and tea the same way: very seriously, and with the benefit of a whole lot of sugar.